The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1887-06-24
A FATAL VOYAGE.

Champiain-A Loss of Twenty Five Lives
Results-Details of the Terrible Djsas-
ter.
CHARLEyoIx. Mich, June 1s.-The pas
senger propeller Champlain, of the North
erh Michigan Line, which left Chicago last
Tuesday, was burned to the waters edge
on Lake Michigan at one O'Clock yesterday
morning Twenty-Five persons are known
to have persisted, and it is believed that
when the facts are fully known the loss of
life will be even greater. The steamers
books went down with her and the clerk IS
dead, so it is impossible to obtain ccm-
plete list of the passengers and crew.
Martin Beau, the steward, says there were
mot less than thirty passengers, while it is
positively known that the crew numbered
tNenty-seven The following are known
to be lost:
Kehoe, No. 1906 South Halstead street, Chi
cago; Mrs. Ella Cooper Smith, Charlevoix;
George Wrisley, Petoskey; Captain Lucas, Pc
toskey; Robert Wilkes, Charlevoix; Mr. Rus
sell, corset manufacturer, jackson. Mich: Mr.
Rogers and son, Milwaukee: R. NJ McKeel.
CharlevoiX; two children of the steward. aged
three and five years; a lady and daughter from
Frankfort, Mimi, names unknown; a fireman.
second cook, two cabin boys, eight deck
hands.
The Champlain left Norwood about mid
night and when within six miles IF
Charlevoix an oil lamp exploded in
the fire-room. The woodwork was
completely saturated with oil and
easily ignlted. Flames leaped through the
machinery into the engine-room and set
fire to the clothing of Engineer McCafery,
who ran shrieking with pain to the hur
ricane deck and plunged into a tank of
water. Then he returned to his post, but
found that the engine room was full of
flames. The steamer was driving through
the water at tremendous rate of speed
and could not be checked. Neither
could the fre-hose be coupled to the
engine. Again and again the brave en-
gineer tried to force his way through the
flames to the throttle of his engine, and
not until the hair was singed from his
head and his face blistered with heat did
he give up in despair. There was NO al
tentative but to abandon the burning boat
How to do this and save the lives of his
passengers and crew was a perplexing
problem that even an experienced steam
boat master like Captain Casey could
not solve. The wind was blowing a
gale and the lake was covered with
smothering foam. Imagine steamboat
with flames and volumes of smoke pour
ing from her sides racing through a
wilderness of white capped waves, leap
ing high into the air and then plunging
her bows down deep fnto the water, near
ly three score of shrieking human beings
huddled together upon the blazing hurr.-
cane deck, and the picture presented by the
Champlain is complete.
AS soon as the alarm of fire was sounded
the passengers and those of the crew who
were off watch were aroused as quickly as
possible. They awoke to find the flames al
ready beyond control, and several were
dragged from their berths nearly suffo-
Gated. The passengers were panic-stricken.
Captain Casey behaved like hero and
not once did he lose con troll of himself.
Summoning all on board to the upper deck
he briefly explained the situation and then
instructed them to secure the life preserV-
ers tightly around their waists.
Realizing that the flames were gaining
so rapidly that it would be impossible to
run the steamer on the beach Captain
Casey began making preparations to
launch the life-boats. This would
have been a difficult undertaking,
even if the steamer had been mo-
tionless, on account of the heavy sea,
but with the steamer plunging through
the furious waves under a full head of
steam 1t was impossible. Still the boats
were the only avenue of escape, and the
chance of launching and then righting
them had to be taken. There were four
boats in all, and each one was capsized
and lost as soon as it touched the water.
Finally, when the last boat was gone and
the life raft had been pitched overheard,
together with floats and every movable
thing that human being could cling to,
men, women and children were compelled
to jump into the lake and battle for life as
best they could. 1t was the only thing
left for them to do. Many sank from
sight almost as soon as they reached the
water, while others grasped bit of plank
and chung to it until, weakened and be-
numbed by the chilling waters of the lake,
the greedy waves Wrenched the last hope
of life from their grasp and swallowed
them up. Captain Casey and eight others
swan to the life-raft and held on for two
hours when they were taken off by fisher
men, who had seen the burning steame
from shore and pulled to the rescue
as quickly as possible in their row-boats
Several others were able to keep above
water by the aid of their life preservers
and by clingng to floats and were saved.
Caleb Russell and Horny Brennan were
picked up alive, but died from burns and
exposure after reaching the shore. Search
is now being made for bodies Seven have
already been recovered, including those of
r. M. McKeel, Mrs. Smith, Captrin Lucas
and the two Beau children.
The burned boat belonged to the smaller
class of propellors that ply on the lakes,
measuring about $50 feet over all, with a
keel Of about 100 feet She had a Carry.
ing capacity of about 43o tons. She was
built in Cleveland in 1870 for
the Northern Transportation Com
pany, and was rebuilt in 1856 at
Manitowoc. Last winter she was redecked
and put in good order for this season. For
some time past she has been owned by Mr.
Burke and ?. j. Kline, of Milwaukee, who
also own the steamer Lawrence, the COM
panion of the Champlain. The loststeam-
er was valued at $4,000, and insured for